Carl Frampton: I want Guillermo Rigondeaux

By Boxing News - 02/16/2015 - Comments

frampton566By Scott Gilfoid: IBF super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton (19-0, 13 KOs) says he’d like to face WBA/WBO 122 pound champion Guillermo Rigondeaux (15-0, 10 KOs) in 2015 in order to prove that he’s the best fighter in the super bantamweight division.

Frampton, who turns 28 this Saturday, has a fight scheduled at the end of the month against #1 IBF Chris Avalos (25-2, 19 KOs) on February 28th at the Odyssey Arena, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

Frampton is hoping to beat Avalos, and then move on to face WBA regular super bantamweight belt holder Scott Quigg followed by a fight against Rigondeaux at the end of the year. The chances of that happening, however, are likely very, very small at this point. I mean, Frampton will be lucky if he can get a fight against Quigg, and I don’t see Frampton’s manager Barry McGuigan letting him get within 4,000 miles of Rigondeaux.

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McGuigan is the guy that’s guiding Frampton’s career right now, and I just don’t see him wanting to put him anywhere near a talent like Rigondeaux. It’s nice that Frampton is name dropping Rigondeaux’s name because that’s getting him some badly needed attention, but no way do I see McGuigan letting Frampton face Rigondeaux right now.

That’s not to say he won’t let him fight Rigondeaux in the future, but I don’t see him letting that fight happen until Rigondeaux is nearing 40 and showing signs of being a shot fighter. Right now, Rigondeaux is still a young 34, and it would be a terrible mismatch if you put a guy like Frampton in with him in my view. That’s why I don’t see McGuigan letting that fight happen for another six years, or however long it takes before Rigondeaux starts showing signs of being a shot fighter.

“The perfect year for me would be to beat Avalos, and then beat Quigg in the summer and then go after Rigondeaux,” Frampton said via espn.co.uk. “Rigondeaux is the best in the division and if I want to prove that I am the best in the division – which I believe I am – then I’m going to need to beat him. “I want to fight Rigondeaux. People rightfully see him as the best Super Bantamweight in the world. Just look at what he’s done as an amateur and look at what he’s done as a professional.”

Getting Quigg to say yes to a fight could prove to be difficult for Frampton, because I don’t see his promoter Eddie Hearn making that fight happen. But even if he does, we are talking about guys that are more title holders than the real thing. The guy that is recognized as being the best fighter at 122 is Rigondeaux; whereas the other champions are merely seen as belt holders.

It’s unfortunate that boxing allows so many champions because it just muddies the water for fans. It’s like having 4 to 5 Super Bowl champions instead of just one, and it’s just so silly. Only the hardcore boxing fans know who the real champ is in each weight class, whereas the casual fans are left with a confused situation where they see one champion after another being trotted out to fight overmatched opposition.



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